Friday night family movie night is one of my favorite rituals. After a week of running around, settling deep into the couch with whole crew sprawled around me in front of the big screen is pure bliss. All too often unfortunately, our family QT dissolves into fighting when choosing a movie. Between Netflix, cable On Demand, and Amazon Prime, we have so many ways to get movies now that we drown in choice. Too much choice leads to big, big fights. So now I’ve traded spontaneity for harmony.
Movie nights are now planned in advance in our house. No more arguing about movies from the couch. It takes a mom dictator to bring on the fun. And when I can tie movie night to a great book, then I truly feel like superwoman.
Netflix recently recruited a group of bloggers to become a Netflix Stream Team. We’d been Netflix members for years, but joining this group has really helped me with my biggest Netflix issue: finding great movies. Ever since we started as Netflix DVD mail subscribers, I’ve found new releases and exciting movies hard to find on their site. This month, the #StreamTeam focus is conveniently bringing books to life. They’ve given me inspiration for family movie nights for months to come.
Just in time for the release of Hunger Games Catching Fire movie today, my older kids and I have been able to reread the trilogy and re-watch the Hunger Games on Netflix. The series was a huge family favorite and the movie did not disappoint at all. It’s been so much fun to get excited as a family for the sequel.
And here are just a few of the other great movie classics we’re planning to enjoy during our next family movie nights, tied to bedtime reading.
E. B. White – Charlotte’s Web
Brian Selznick – Hugo
Margery Williams – The Velveteen Rabbit
Ann M. Martin’s series – The Babysitter’s Club